Another Dollar's Just Another Blow : Frerard
by drowningless0ns
Summary: the date is december 20, 2012. the world is set to end in little over twenty four hours, and after it being confirmed by government scientists across the globe, the planet is in a state of panic. And in the midst of the chaos, Gerard Way and Frank Iero meet as strangers and spend their last day on earth together, only to die as lovers.
1. Chapter 1

The weather in Newark, New Jersey was pretty much typical for the time of year; heavy snow, a spot of rain here and there. The air was thin and laced with ice, as it always was in late December, but the usual festive cheer that always came with it, was barely visible to the naked eye. Christmas trees and fairy lights could only be seen through the odd few living room windows, if you cared to look, evidence of parents trying to give their children that one last day of happiness, ensuring them that in a couple of days there'd be all sorts of presents under that tree. Everyone knew that Christmas wasn't coming this year, but to the young children, Santa was still coming.

The streets of Newark were bustling of people, people that were going from house to house, visiting loved ones, saying goodbye. The roads were overflowing with traffic, and horns were constantly honking until another drunken idiot turned his car into a pretzel around a street lamp. All the shops that had been once-familiar, were now boarded up, the Wal-Mart in the centre of town causing uproar as people tried to pay for their last few meals but found that prices had shot through the roof. You could see in the face of every person, two emotions; despair, and panic.

The world was going to end in little over twenty-four hours, and no one seemed to know how to think, or what to do with themselves. But optimism was a rare oddity now.

However, on this day, in the midst of the crowds, the traffic, the noise, something magical happened. Only a few saw what started it, but couldn't care enough, and carried on walking past. And even if they knew what had ended up happening afterwards, it's a doubt that they would have cared then.

Frank Iero lay curled tight against the sidewalk, his back pressed to the slick, grimy brick wall of what once was a grocery store. His small frame was huddled up in a grubby, motheaten green blanket, the garment itself becoming somewhat soggy in the snow. The small man's body was shaking violently from the cold, his frostbitten fingers turning blue beneath the threadbare gloves he wore.

Frank was one of the many homeless people that sat hopelessly on the streets, begging for money to get probably what would be their last meal, even though they knew well that everyone was too ignorant to pay them any mind. But Frank, he was a little different. Instead of holding his hands up to strangers in hope of receiving a quarter or two, he decided to give away the mere seven bucks that he had saved up for months, to the other unfortunates that lined that same street.

Frank, with no more than the clothes on his back and a blanket to his name, had given up all hope. As he lay there on the sidewalk, freezing, he silently prayed for death to take him, swallow him whole. He knew that in no less than day he would be dead, but he didn't want to wait. He wanted out. He was worthless to himself, had no point in living. 'God, kill me,' he chanted over and over in his head. 'Please kill me.'

Frank's eyes were open, near lifeless hazel orbs staring into nothingness as the floods of people passed by. Every few seconds his body would convulse horribly, his teeth chattering so hard that they could break. Everything stung with frostbite, everything ached so terribly he couldn't bear to move.

As he continued to stare, Frank saw two paratrooper boot-clad feet invade his vision. He didn't assume that the person standing there was looking at him, and so he closed his eyes for a few moments, waiting for them to go away. But when said person was still stood there after Frank opened his eyes, he decided to speak up and ask them what they were doing just standing there.

But he was surprised to find, when he looked up, that the mystery man was looking at him after all. Frank took a moment to halt his words, letting them get stuck in his throat as he swallowed them back down. Frank had always been homosexual, despite having any kind of intimate contact with another man, and as he looked up at the young man above him, he couldn't deny the fact that he was stunningly beautiful.

He could only have been a few years older than Frank. His hair was short, black, flecked with snow, dampened slightly as if he'd been outside for a while. His bright hazel eyes were fringed with long, coal black eyelashes, and one thick brow was arched as he looked at Frank, thin rose petal lips curling into a half smile, almost as if he pitied the small man at his feet.

But he said nothing. He looked down for another moment or two, before reaching into his black, high-collared Sherlock Holmes coat and pulling a twenty dollar bill. Frank began to protest but his shivers got the best of him, his lips trembling with cold and preventing him from making a coherent sound. The man knelt down to hand the note to Frank, and when he didn't take it he reached for his hand and placed the note in the smaller man's palm. He then stood up and, with a soft smile, began to walk away.

'I don't need your fucking charity!' Frank screamed all of a sudden, the strength in his voice surprising himself and startling the passers-by, including the mystery man who whipped his head round to look at Frank in confusion. He slowly made his way back over to Frank, frowning deeply. He knelt down again as Frank sat up properly, body shuddering violently. The mystery man smiled sadly, patting Frank's knee gingerly. Frank flinched.

'Go get yourself a couple more blankets,' he said gently in a soft New Jersey accent. 'You need to get yourself warm.'

'Let m-me die in p-pe-peace,' Frank hissed, batting the man's hand away feebly, only to cause a light, musical chuckle to leave the taller man's lips.

'You don't meant that,' he said almost nonchalantly. 'I know you don't want to die.'

'You don't know shit,' Frank spat, flicking the twenty onto the sidewalk. He grit his teeth, silently willing the man to go away.

'Look,' the black haired man said softly. 'You're right, I don't know what you're going through, but I'd feel guilty to just walk away after seeing you in this position. I've given you money, go get warm.'

'All the stores are closed, oh good samaritan,' Frank sneered, the sarcasm heavy in his voice. 'I couldn't get my ass warm if I wanted. Couldn't eat if I wanted.' The expression of the taller man grew solemn with realisation, and he nodded, picking up the discarded twenty and tucking it safely back inside his coat.

'Alright.' He nodded and then met Frank's eyes, a sliver of determination shimmering in his hazel irises. 'Come with me.' It was more of a question than a statement. Frank snorted.

'Fuck off,' he almost laughed, sneezing afterwards and then shuddering as he pulled his blanket tighter around his tiny frame. 'Like I'd go anywhere with you!'

'I can give you a room,' the black haired man said almost a little too hopefully. 'I can give you food. Warmth. A shower if y'want.' It was wildly tempting for Frank. Tempting to accept the offer. Despite his heavy depression, a shower and food and not shivering the whole night through sounded like a brilliant idea. But he knew that he couldn't just go home with a stranger and that's why he refused.

'I'll survive,' Frank responded after a moment or two, shaking his head slowly and almost regrettably. But not a second after he'd spoken, he felt the snow starting to fall heavier and it was beginning to cloak the ground. He was positive that the temperature would most likely drop another few degrees, and the mystery man seemed to know this too.

'You're gonna freeze to death out here,' he murmured, his warm hand resting over Frank's frostbitten one, causing him to flinch a little. 'Please, just come with me. You'll feel a lot better once you're in the warm and you've gotten something to eat.' Hope still shone in the black haired man's eyes, and Frank could only sigh in despair, unsure of what to do. This guy could be a rapist, for all he knew. And right now, that and the possibility of murder were his only qualms with going home with the stranger. He'd been raped before, he knew what to expect. But it wasn't pleasant and he imagined murder wasn't either.

'I know, but I'll be fine, r-really,' Frank stammered, still shivering as he could feel the temperature dropping and the wind beginning to pick up. He knew the mystery man was right- he would definitely freeze to death tonight. But he had to stick to his guns on this.

'Come on. For the sake of making a friend on your last day.' Those words got to Frank. They struck him right in the heart. Because he knew, that in all his life, he'd never had a true friend, only aqquaintances. And the opportunity to perhaps have a friend, for the last day of his life, well he wanted that a lot. He didn't even know why. And he figured, as he opened his mouth to reply, that this guy sounded genuine, he did want to help, and that if all he wanted was a quick fuck and to dump Frank in an alleyway somewhere for dead, then so be it. He was going to meet his maker in the morning either way.

'Okay,' Frank said, nodding. 'I'll come with you.'

It took a few moments for Frank to get to his feet, the black haired man holding him in case he couldn't stand. Frank couldn't feel his legs, thanks to the cold, and so he agreed to hold onto the taller man's waist as they walked, so that he didn't fall down. The black haired man, who then introduced himself as Gerard, shrugged out of his coat and helped Frank into it, making the midget man look a tiny bit ridiculous but to them both the humour of it was non-existent. Gerard was intent on keeping Frank warm, helping him to feel comfortable in his presence. He knew why the smaller man had been hesitant to come with him, and he wanted to make sure that he also knew that he wasn't like that.

They walked in silence as Gerard led Frank to his apartment, no conversation being held between them mostly because of Frank's excessive shivers and teeth-chatters. And the fact that they didn't know each other. But surprisingly, the situation didn't feel as awkward as it should have.


	2. Chapter 2

The moment that Frank stepped inside Gerard's apartment, he was in heaven. Warmth was hitting him from all directions, and that was the first feeling of utter euphoria that he had felt in months, perhaps even in over a year. But when the initial, almost equivalent to orgasmic, feeling of warmth had subsided, Frank felt instantly at home in what was essentially, a stranger's home.

The apartment was huge, open-plan, pretty much a studio. The door opened into the main part of the living room, which then branched off seamlessly into the kitchen, and bedroom. The whole place was pretty much stuck to the colour theme of beige, red and black, the walls mostly red, the carpets and hardwood a light beige, and the furniture was, with few expections, primarily black. But there was no dark vibe coming from it; it was cosy.

'Come in, Frank,' Gerard said with a light chuckle as Frank stood in his doorway, just staring. 'Make yourself at home.' Frank gingerly stepped inside and closed the door softly behind him, shuffling over to one of the couches and slowly sitting down. The rush of comfort that he felt, sitting on something other than concrete, was overwhelming and within seconds he had nearly been consumed by the couch itself, its cushions threatening to swallow him whole. Gerard just laughed as Frank revelled in the feeling, only able to imagine how it must feel for him to be able to relax.

'Can I get you anything to eat?' Gerard asked as Frank laid down, taking up the whole couch and nestling his face into his arms. He was still clutching the filthy green blanket from earlier, but Gerard didn't dare to try and take it from him, despite the necessity for it being gone. Frank merely nodded, yawning loudly as he curled up a little more. Gerard was just about to ask what he'd like, when he was interrupted by loud snores coming from his guest's mouth. He smiled again, crossing the room and kneeling beside him, slowly running a hand through the small man's matted black hair. 'Sleep well, Frank,' he whispered, before ever so lightly pressing a kiss to his forehead.

When Frank awoke, he was startled by his surroundings, the unfamilar feeling of warmth and comfort frightening him at first. But he soon realized, as he looked around the room he was in and at the black/red/beige decor, he was in Gerard's apartment. Gerard, his gorgeous saviour. Where was he?

Frank sat up slowly, stretching his arms above his head and feeling his back click in several places. He could feel the dull ache of his strained muscles, but the sting of the cold was no longer there. This pleased him, a lot more than you'd think.

He looked around, not seeing Gerard anywhere, and as he looked he caught sight of the time, shown by the large clock above the stove in the kitchen. It was only midday, which meant that Frank couldn't have slept for much longer than an hour and a half, maybe an hour and three quarters if he was lucky. But he didn't feel as tired as he normally would, running on that little sleep. He felt, surprisingly, awake.

'Gerard?' Frank called, his voice raspy with sleep and breaking half way through. And so he called again, louder. 'Gerard?' The taller man soon appeared through a doorway slightly down the hall from the kitchen, a door Frank hadn't noticed before.

'Frank!' Gerard greeted him gleefully, shooting him a wide grin that was enough to send him weak at the knees. 'Nice to see you're awake. I was just about to jump in the shower but I suppose I should get you something to eat first.' He smiled again and walked to the kitchen, his back turned as he stretched up to rummage around in cupboards. As he did so, the hem of his white t-shirt rode up a little, displaying a strip of pale, creamy skin that disappeared below the waistband of those sinfully, teasingly tight black jeans. Frank noticed the subtle swing of Gerard's hips as he moved from cupboard to cupboard, and he found himself biting his lip as he watched, enthralled simply by how the black haired man moved.

But Frank's eyes had gotten so caught up in the sway of Gerard's backside, that he didn't really register the fact that Gerard had now turned round and his eyes were now rather unintentionally focussed on his crotch.

'Frank?' Gerard said slowly, voice laced with amusement, causing Frank to snap out of his little trance and blush deep red. He didn't answer the taller man, as expected, and Gerard smiled at him, not a smug smile like Frank would have expected to see, but almost like a knowing smile. That worried Frank a little, but he was still blushing from being caught staring.

'I don't have much, I'm afraid,' Gerard said, returning to the matter at hand. 'Most of what I have is just noodles or frozen stuff.'

'Do you have any pop-tarts?' Frank said suddenly, trying to remember the last time he had eaten one of the sugar-laced pastries.

'Ohp, you're in luck, I do have pop-tarts. Just the chocolate ones though. Never could stand the strawberry ones, if I'm being honest,' Gerard said, taking a box of pop-tarts from a cupboard and putting two in the toaster, before leaning against the counter and smiling at the small man who was still sat on his sofa.

'Chocolate's fine,' Frank said quietly with a genuine smile, bringing his knees up to his chest and hugging them. There was an awkward silence for a minute while both men waited for the pop-tarts to jump out of the toaster, and the moment they did Gerard had put them on a plate and handed the plate to Frank. 'Thank you,' Frank said, his hand lingering on Gerard's for a moment as they smiled at each other.

'You're welcome,' Gerard replied, sitting on the couch opposite the one Frank was sitting on and staring absently out the window. There was nothing you could see from the living room window besides the sky and the odd office block. They were on the fourteenth floor, after all.

Frank devoured his pop-tarts almost instantly, the small snacks filling his shrunken stomach comfortably. No matter how hungry he was, Frank could never eat that much. His stomach wouldn't allow it.

Gerard took Frank's plate for him and placed it in the sink, and as he made his way back over to the couch, Frank spoke.

'Thank you,' he said quietly, meeting the taller man's eyes. 'For taking me in like this.'

Gerard nodded and smiled, sitting next to Frank this time and placing his hand on the small man's knee. 'It's not a problem,' he said in return. 'I would never have forgiven myself if I had just left you there. No one deserves to be in that position but especially not someone as young as you.' Frank nodded and subconciously leaned against Gerard's body, the warmth of his skin making his own skin crawl with delight.

There was silence for a little while, neither man knowing what to say. But eventually, Gerard spoke up, but quietly, enjoying the silence.

'You can go and take a shower if you want,' he suggested, nd Frank immediately protested.

'No no, you can go first. You said you were gonna shower but you chose to make me food instead, so please. You first.' Frank was using every ounce of his manners to stop himself from taking that first shower. The last time he had showered, well... It hadn't been recently.

'Frank,' Gerard said softly. 'No offense but, you need a shower a lot more than I do. Besides, I'm not sure how long it will be until the hot water supply gets cut off. I'd rather you have the last hot shower.' He smiled sweetly, and Frank could have sworn he felt his heart flutter at the sight. Gerard was even more gorgeous when he smiled like that.

'If you're sure,' Frank said hesitantly, and Gerard nodded, still sporting that same smile.

'Take as long as you need. Bathroom's the first door on the left, down the hall. Fresh towels are on the radiator by the door and all the shampoo and shit is in the shower already.' Gerard patted Frank on the shoulder before standing up and walking over into the kitchen, busying himself with tyding the already spotless space while Frank made his way to the bathroom.

Once inside, Frank shut the door firmly only to whine silently in disappointment when he found that there was no lock. But his urge to shower got the best of him and he convinced himself not to care so much about it. Frank quickly stripped off all his clothes, the torn and worn old jeans that were sill wet from the snow, all three of his now-grimy t-shirts, his grubby, stripy sweater that had ceased giving him warmth ages ago, the socks and boxers that he hadn't changed in perhaps way over a week now. He'd lost the only other pair he'd had.

As soon as Frank stepped under the scalding water of the shower, a low moan of pleasure left his lips. He tipped his head back and rested it against the wall of the large cubicle, feeling the waiter trickle down his chest, his legs, through his hair and down his back. He couldn't remember the last time he'd showered, but right now it felt like a little piece of heaven on earth. He didn't know how long he stood there, just relishing that feeling of having all the filth washed away. The water that pooled around his feet was near enough black, all the grime and dirt just rolling off of his skin. Frank could see his tattoos again, he could see his real skin colour. He didn't feel like Homeless Frank anymore, for the first time in seven years. He felt normal.

Eventually Frank decided to get clean properly, and most likely ended up using the equivalent of his body weight in Gerard's shampoo and shower gel. But he was just enjoying it all so much, all these feelings that he'd forgotten even existed. And now he was feeling them again and it was almost like the best day of his fucking life, even if it was his last.

He was startled by a soft knock at the bathroom door, followed by Gerard calling his name.

'Frank?'

'Yeah?' Frank called back, in the process of lathering up his hair with shampoo. He was slightly pissed about being disturbed, but there was no way he could really be angry at Gerard, what with all the things the black haired man had done for him already.

'This is gonna sound really creepy but do you mind if I join you?' Gerard replied, and Frank almost choked on the air he was breathing.

'Uhh... Why?' He asked hesitantly, shaking his hair out slightly and combing his fingers through it, rinsing the shampoo out. Why the hell did Gerard want to join him?

'Well you've been in there a long time and I guess the hot water'll run out pretty soon. I just wanted to see if I could just come in there with you. I'm not gonna feel you up or anything, Frank, I just wanna shower with hot water.' His voice wasn't hinting at a lie, and if Frank thought about it enough he could perfectly understand his reason. He rolled his eyes slightly and called back to Gerard who was waiting impatiently outside the bathroom.

'Alright fine, but no eye-raping me, 'kay?' Frank said, an underlying tone of malice in his joking tone. He was already self-concious enough, and even more so now because he was about to shower naked with another man who was insanely attractive and he seriously didn't know how he was going to be able to deal with it. Gerard entered the bathroom slowly and closed the door behind him, before quickly stripping off his clothes. Frank could see him slightly through the frosted glass walls of the shower, all that creamy white skin on display and he was about to see him naked and-

The door to the shower opened and Gerard hurriedly stepped inside, one of his hands in place to cover his crotch, as Frank was doing, and closing the little door behind him. Both men were already blushing tomato red and there was an awkward silence for a moment, the only sound being the running of the water and the light taps as it hit the floor of the cubicle.

'I didn't realise you were tattooed,' Gerard commented after a while, hazel eyes roaming Frank's arms, stomach, hips, lower... Frank shivered under his gaze, ducking his head to wet his hair again. He'd noticed Gerard eyeing his lower stomach and he couldn't deny that he'd enjoyed it. It was, after all, the only time he'd ever been looked at in that way by a man, let alone in this kind of almost intimate situation.

'Yeah... Got more on my back too.' Frank tried to keep his voice steady but he couldn't stop it from wavering with nerves. Gerard noticed, and spoke again as he reached for the shower gel.

'Calm down, Frank, it's cool. I'm not 'looking' at you, if that's what you're worried about. I'm trying to make this less awkward.' Gerard turned away a little as he lathered up his body with the gel, passing the bottle to Frank afterwards. Frank did the same, keeping his eyes halfway shut to try and forget he had company. If just acted normal then the awkwardness would go away, right?

'How come you don't have any tattoos?' Frank asked softly, his voice turning meek all of a sudden. Gerard shrugged, rubbing some shampoo into his hair as he replied.

'Don't like needles. They fuckin' creep me out, like, big time.' Just then, Gerard and Frank moved to get under the water at the same time by accident, both of them wanting to rinse the soap off their bodies and ending up pressed up against one another. Both men mumbled quick apologies and stepped back from one another, Gerard allowing Frank to rinse himself first before he did the same. Frank could barely breathe, his heart had lurched into his throat the moment that his and Gerard's chests had touched. Luckily for them both they'd pulled away before their lower halves could touch, but now Frank couldn't help but let his mind wander. He reached his hand down to cover himself again when he felt himself starting to get a bit aroused, but he didn't relise that Gerard had in fact noticed before Frank had himself.

Another minute or so passed and both men's bodies were free of soap, the water beginning to run cold. Without a word the two men both stepped out of the shower and quickly grabbed towels to wrap around their waists before exiting the bathroom.

'Come to my room with me,' Gerard said, nodding towards his bedroom. 'I'm sure some of my clothes will fit you.'


	3. Chapter 3

Frank followed Gerard to his bedroom, still buzzing from what had happened in the shower. His nerve endings felt like live wires, and he could still feel the tingling of Gerard's skin against his.

Frank couldn't help but stare a little at the taller man's backside as he walked, licking over his lips a little. He'd never really been this attracted to another man before, and right now he was getting on to be at that point where he was going to need to... relieve himself, soon.

Gerard walked over to a little chest of drawers against the wall opposite his bed, pulling out a pair of boxers and some sweatpants, tossing them to Frank and startling him out of his little daze.

'These should fit,' Gerard said, and Frank nodded, turning his back to the black haired man and nervously removing his towel, knowing that his ass was on show to Gerard. But he didn't know that, as he hastily dried himself off, Gerard was staring at him, eyes turning a little darker. He knew he shouldn't be attracted to Frank, especially not already. But he had a naked man in front of him and, being gay, Gerard couldn't exactly ignore his attraction.

As Frank quickly dressed himself, noticing that the boxers and sweatpants hung a little low on his skinny hips, he looked over his shoulder to see the taller man looking at him, almost lustfully. But he saw his cheeks redden and he quickly looked away, reaching for his own clothes and pulling them on, while Frank tried not to watch but failed miserably.

The moment he was dressed, Frank walked over to the large window that occupied the right hand wall of the bedroom. He shivered slightly as he laid a hand against the glass, his breath clouding a small patch of the window. Gerard silently came up behind him, his warm fingers dancing hesitantly across Frank's lower back and eventually moving to wrap a reassuring arm around his waist. Frank didn't flinch this time, keeping his gaze fixed on the streets below him. Gerard looked out too, sighing softly in slight despair.

The snow had cloaked the rooftops and the sidewalk, still falling heavily. The sky was thick with cloud and was slowly darkening, as if a thunderstorm was coming. The streets were swarming with people now, for some unknown reason, and from this height they seemed more like ants than humans.

Both men's breath began to completely fog the window and after a moment Frank pulled away, hanging his head a little and leaning back slightly into Gerard's feeble embrace. Gerard smiled, bringing his other hand up to run it slowly through the smaller man's hair. Frank seemed upset, or at the very least, preoccupied.

"Is something wrong, Frank?" Gerard asked softly, still staring out the window. Frank nodded in response, sighing and shivering at the same time. Gerard rubbed up and down his back to heat him up.

"My family are out there somewhere,"  
Frank mumbled, his hand still resting against the window, leaving a little bit of an imprint in the condensation. "I haven't seen them in eleven years. And I'm gonna die without seeing them one last time."

Gerard felt his heart stick in his throat a little. He didn't realise Frank would say something like that, though he should have expected it.

"Why haven't you seen them in so long?" Gerard murmured close to the smaller man's ear, not wanting to disturb the near-silence that had settled in the room.

"They kicked me out all those years ago," Frank said softly, almost mused. He was still gazing intently at the streets of Newark, fingers curling a little against the cool glass of the window. "They found out I was gay and didn't want anything to do with me. Told everyone else in my family never to speak to me again. And so they didn't. I've been homeless ever since." Frank sniffled and then looked back over his shoulder slightly, glancing apologetically at the taller man. "I'm sorry," he said, before going to step out of Gerard's arms. The black haired man only pulled Frank closer into a tight hug, which he surprisingly didn't reject.

"Just because you're gay?" Gerard asked, his insides secretly writhing and fluttering with glee. He figured that if Frank was homosexual then getting close to him, being intimate with him, would be a lot easier to accomplish. Frank nodded against Gerard's shoulder, lifting his arms to snake them around the older man's waist. He felt oddly comfortable, almost safe, in Gerard's arms. It was odd, but he was glad he felt that way.

"That's horrible," Gerard whispered, trying to imagine how hurt the smaller man must have felt, to have his entire family taken away from him for something as petty as his sexuality.

"I know," Frank mumbled, squeezing Gerard's waist for that split second before pulling himself away, shivering as the warmth of the taller man's skin left his own. "But I don't need your sympathy." He once again rested his forehead against the window, sighing heavily and spreading fog across the window. Gerard sighed and, pressing his chest against Frank's back a little, wrapped his arms around the smaller man's stomach, leaning his forehead against the back of his head.

"Either way. I'm sorry." Frank nodded, bringing his hand down from the window to rest it over Gerard's hands that were linked just below his belly button. He leaned back a little, enjoying the way Gerard's warm arms felt around him. He never knew he could feel so comfortable, like this.

They stayed silent for a while, just standing there against the window, in that simple, yet comforting embrace. It was only when shivers began to rack Frank's form, that Gerard reluctantly pulled himself away.

"Let's find you a shirt," he said with a light smile, leaving Frank at the window as he went back to his dresser, rifling through the drawers and finding a plain, grey long-sleeved tshirt before walking back to the smaller man, handing it to him. "Put it on. Warm up."

Frank smiled up at Gerard gratefully before tugging the shirt on over his slender torso, once again noticing how the garment hung from him. He pressed back against Gerard's chest again, seeking warmth from him despite the shirt he had just acquired.

"You make me feel safe," Frank whispered absently, fingers dancing up the taller man's arms and giving him goosebumps. Gerard arched an eyebrow yet smiled softly, combing his fingers lightly through the smaller man's shaggy hair. He couldn't respond, a feeling of slight elation coursing through him. He made Frank feel safe. Safe.

The two lapsed into silence once again, until Frank slowly turned around, his tattooed hands slipping down onto Gerard's hips. Gerard looked down into the smaller man's eyes, surprised, and saw Frank smiling up at him, a twinge of nervousness settling into his irises.

"You okay?" Gerard asked, his voice coming out a lot quieter than he'd intended. Frank nodded mutely, his left hand slowly running up the taller man's spine and up the back of his neck, fingers playing lightly with his hair. Gerard felt his pulse picking up a little, each little touch from Frank feeling like lightning.

Their eyes met for a moment, Gerard biting his lip and Frank licking over his, before the smaller man suddenly stretched up on his toes and softly pressed his lips against Gerard's.


	4. Chapter 4

"Frank," Gerard gasped almost immediately, in response to the smaller man's lips pressing to his own. Frank jumped back slightly, almost as if Gerard had snapped him out of some kind of trance. His cheeks flushed dark red and he immediately hung his head, hands being raised to cover his face as he mumbled an apology. Gerard, still shocked by Frank's action, lifted his hands to pry the smaller man's fingers from his face, lowering them and slowly slipping to lace their fingers together. Frank, embarrassed, tried to pull away, only to meet resistance as Gerard's grip tightened softly on his hands.

"You don't need to apologise, Frank, it's okay." Gerard smiled lightly and brushed his thumbs over the backs of Frank's hands. "If you want to kiss me... kiss me." It was almost like a challenge; to see whether or not Frank would give in easily, or continue to apologise. Surprisingly for Gerard, Frank didn't choose the latter.

The younger man stretched up on his toes again, barely looking into Gerard's eyes this time before he leaned in for the kiss. Gerard stayed still, one of his hands resting on Frank's hip and his lips meeting the smaller man's slowly. Both men's eyes slipped shut, and Frank felt the taller man's fingers tighten slightly around his own.

The kiss was short, soft, neither man deciding to surprise the other with tongues. It wasn't a perfect kiss, like it typically would have been. It was simple, and honest, however it managed to spark a feeling in both men that they'd never really experienced before. And no, it wasn't love, like in all the love stories, like in the movies.

It was comfort.

That's all it was- a feeling of safety in each other's arms, reassurance brought on by the kiss. It almost said that everything was going to be okay, that they were going to look after each other. And it was this feeling that made Frank pull away, still softly nipping at Gerard's lower lip as he pulled back a few inches.

"Stay with me," he murmured, his fingers reaching to cup the taller man's cheek gently. Gerard met Frank's eyes almost immediately, goosebumps pricking up on his arms at the thought. He had already guessed that Frank would be staying the night in the apartment with him, but the way the younger man had said it... It seemed more of a plea, that he wanted Gerard with him, just to what, protect him?

"I'll keep you safe tonight," Gerard whispered, nodding at Frank's words and then leaning down to kiss him again, his face leaning into the smaller man's hand slightly. They kissed for another few minutes, everything remaining innocent between them. Neither of them knew it, but for both men it was their first time kissing someone like this, and it was in fact scary for them both. But as the minutes passed, as fingers began to get tangled in hair and sincere moans fell from parted lips, the fear slowly disappeared. Everything felt almost instinctive, second nature, even though the men had only had about ten minutes of experience.

Moments later, though, Frank began shivering violently and he had to pull away from Gerard, his teeth chattering once again. Gerard frowned, rubbing his hands up and down the smaller man's arms. It was only now that he was starting to realise how thin Frank actually was, and getting cold must be the easiest thing in the world. Without saying a word, Gerard rushed to his dresser and pulled out a hoodie, his favourite one, in fact. He helped Frank into it and, before he had the chance to do anything about it, the younger man snuggled himself up in Gerard's arms, hugging him tightly.

By this point, it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon, and the sky outside was growing darker. The snow had practically turned into a blizzard, and it looked as though a thunderstorm was brewing in the clouds. Frank clung tightly to Gerard as they both stared out the window, watching the weather get worse. Gerard held Frank close to him, arms curled protectively round his middle.

"Frank," Gerard murmured after another few silent minutes, his lips ghosting over the shorter man's hair.

"Y-Yeah?" Frank replied, tilting his head up to press his lips to the black haired man's chin. His nerves were tingling, so many new sensations rushing through him and he didn't know what to do with them.

"Come with me." Gerard slowly unwrapped his arms from Frank's waist and beckoned him to follow, walking across the living room and down the hall where the bathroom was, walking on until he reached a door, which Frank recognised as the one he had seen Gerard emerge from earlier.

"It's warm in here," Gerard explained, pushing the door open and walking inside the room with Frank close behind him. He closed the door once Frank was inside.

The colour scheme in this room was different from the rest of the apartment. The walls and ceiling were painted black, the plush carpet a claret red. There was a double bed in the centre of the room, adorned with purple, crushed velvet sheets and about five matching pillows. Paintings and drawings lined the walls, some unfinished, some disturbing, some incredibly beautiful. There were an awful lot of unlit, but well-used candles on long shelves on one wall, and there didn't seem to be any other kind of light source anywhere, not even a window. But it was, indeed, warmer.

"My, er... studio," Gerard said softly, gesturing to the room. Frank said nothing in that moment, merely stepping past the taller man and walking the length of the so called studio, brushing his fingers slowly and gently over the canvases and paper scraps.

"These are gorgeous," he whispered, stunned by one particular piece in front of him that showed a young boy in the centre of a smudged crowd of people, his hair bright red whereas the rest of the painting was solely black and white.

"Thankyou," Gerard said quietly, a dark blush creeping over his cheeks. He watched as Frank continued to admire his art, and then smiled as the small man spotted the dusty old acoustic guitar in the corner of the room.

"Do you play?" Frank asked, and Gerard shook his head sadly.

"I tried once. But I gave up after a while. Never had the heart to get rid of that old thing, though." He gestured to the guitar. "What about you, do you play?"

Frank nodded slowly, fingers trailing across the headstock of the guitar and leaving streaks in the dust. "I used to, when I lived with my parents. I busked for a while when they first kicked me out, but since my guitar got stolen I haven't really had the chance to play..."

"Play it if you like," Gerard said, seating himself at the end of the bed as Frank picked the guitar up, blowing off some of the dust and sitting on the floor, slowly strumming a chord that he vaguely recognised as an F.

"Oh we'll what d'you know," Frank mused to himself as he played a few more chords, plucking the strings slowly and feeling all the teenage memories of band practices and class performances flooding back to him. He stayed silent after that, grinning for the first time in years, and just let the music take over him. Gerard watched him carefully, an almost fuzzy feeling creeping into his body as he saw Frank smile and heard a soft giggle of glee burst from his lips. He loved seeing Frank happy like this. And it felt even better to know that it was partly by his doing.


End file.
